[Insert hospital logo]
[Hospital Name] Joins New York Organ Donor Network in Celebrating
National Donate Life Month this April
Every 15 hours someone dies in New York State while waiting for an organ transplant.
Every two and a half hours, a New Yorker’s name is added to the waiting list. The need
for organs in New York is critical.
As part of the continuing effort to raise awareness and get more New Yorkers to sign-up
to be organ donors, [Hospital Name] will mark National Donate Life Month throughout
April by partnering with the New York Organ Donor Network.
The entire month is set aside to raise awareness about the need for organ, eye, and
tissue donors. Multiple programs and events will be held to honor the generosity of
donors and their families and to commemorate transplant recipients.
2012 was a record year with more than 303,000 people registering to be organ donors in
the greater New York metropolitan area. This brought the state total to over three million
residents enrolled in the Donate Life State Registry. While we celebrate this success, the
need for organ, eye, and tissue transplants continues to grow.
In New York State, nearly 10,000 people are waiting for life-saving organ transplants.
Currently, 20 percent of individuals age 18 and over have signed the donor registry
compared with an average of 45% across the United States.
In order to increase registry enrollments, [Hospital Name] will host various events and
programs during Donate Life Month, including organ donor registry drives. [Hospital
inserts other April events and programs.]
[Quote from hospital CEO or other leadership member about why the hospital is
participating and what it hopes to achieve. Suggestion: “We need to share with our
community that organ donation saves lives every day. And, that it is made possible
because someone like you made the decision to donate. Each of us has the power to
donate life. I urge you to act now”.]
Helen Irving, New York Organ Donor Network president and CEO, said she welcomes
the month-long commitment from [Name of Hospital.] “As there are fewer than 300
deceased organ donors in the greater New York metropolitan area each year, we look to
invaluable parternships from our region’s hospitals and transplant centers to encourage
New Yorkers to add their names to the Donate Life Registry. Just one organ donor alone
can save up to eight lives. That same person can save or improve up to 50 lives through
tissue and eye donation. That’s why we appeal to New Yorkers to register as organ
donors today.”
Complementing the efforts of area hospitals, the New York Organ Donor Network has
launched a multi-faceted public awareness campaign. The efforts include mass media
advertising, partnerships with local businesses, and engagements with both civic and
governmental entities. In addition, donor registry drives will be held throughout the metro
region on college campuses and at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Ninety-five
percent of all organ donor registry enrollments occur at the DMV and so donor family
members and transplant recipients will be on site at several DMV locations sharing their
stories.
To register as an organ donor or for more information: Visit
www.SaveLivesNewYork.org.
National Donate Life Month: Originally a weeklong observance, former Health and
Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson officially sanctioned the extension of
the celebration in 2003 to include the entire month of April. Donate Life Month is
traditionally sanctioned by the president of the United States.
[Name of Hospital – Description Template]
New York Organ Donor Network: The New York Organ Donor Network (NYODN) is
the nonprofit, federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) for the greater
New York metropolitan area. Established in 1978, NYODN is the second largest OPO in
the United States, serving 13 million people. Working closely with transplant centers and
hospitals, NYODN facilitates organ, eye, and tissue donation for transplant. The
organization additionally provides public education about donation and transplantation
and encourages enrollment in the New York State Donate Life Registry.
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